“So much was shown the other night, that we’re re-editing the show into an hour-long episode,” says the insider.

On Wednesday, part of the "Judge's Home Round" episode -- which reveals the final 16 singers left in the competition selected by judges Britney Spears, L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato and Simon Cowell -- was aired on the East Coast, while on the West Coast, a technical glitch broadcast some of the east coast feed prior to the show's 8 p.m. start time (along with a snippet of The Mindy Project as a stopgap). To remedy this, an encore presentation of X Factor was aired at 8 p.m.

In all the confusion, ratings were undoubtedly impacted negatively, but perhaps equally disconcerting to network brass: how in the instant internet and social media hubbub, the show got more attention for not being on the air.

The newly cut episode of X Factor will air on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., as part of Fox's extended primetime block.